Remarks to the press by the Secretary-General after visiting the Hasansham camp in northern Iraq

This is a visit of solidarity with the people of Mosul who have suffered the oppression of ISIS in terrible conditions and that are now suffering from the military operations that are needed to defeat terrorism in Mosul.

These people have suffered enormously and they go on suffering. We need more solidarity from the international community. There is a huge effort by the regional government [of Kurdistan], a huge effort by the NGOs, a huge effort by UN agencies but we don’t have the resources that are necessary to support these people. We don’t have the international solidarity that is needed for the conditions to be provided for these people to [live in] humane conditions, for them to have the minimum compensation for the suffering they have had and, at the same time, to create the conditions for a reconciliation within the communities and reconciliation at national level as soon as Mosul is fully liberated.

This is the moment the international community needs to express deep solidarity with Iraq and unfortunately our programme here is funded at only 8 percent. That shows how limited our resources are compared to the tragedy these people are facing.

This is a moment in which the Iraqi people, the people of Mosul need the solidarity of the international community that solidarity can not be denied because those soldiers that we have seen around are fighting for our security everywhere in the world. Fighting terrorism in Mosul is the same as fighting of terrorism anywhere because terrorism has become a global threat. All terrorist groups are today interlinked.

Solidarity with those liberating Mosul.

Solidarity with the civilians that are suffering.

Cooperation in order to guarantee to protection of those civilians and, at the same time, solidarity with the victims and creating the conditions for reconciliation.

Everything requires a much larger commitment from the international community and that commitment is not just being generous. No, it is in the enlightened self-interest of everybody because the terrorist threats we see in Mosul are the same as the terrorist threat we see everywhere in the world.